New Jersey’s criminal justice reforms have encouraged mass teenage misbehavior while leaving the police unable to respond accordingly, the Associated Press (AP) reported Friday.
Residents and officials in the beachside towns of Ocean City and Seaside Heights raised concerns because of dramatic increases in fights, assaults, drug use and underage drinking during Memorial Day weekend celebrations, according to the AP report.
Criminal justice reforms, some of which concern alcohol use and possession, were designed to keep more juveniles out of the court system and imposed a number of restrictions on police officers’ interactions with them.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, teenagers reportedly hung from a motel balcony in Seaside Heights and climbed onto the roof of another motel, while others overdosed on alcohol and had to be hospitalized. In addition, teenagers allegedly spat on restroom attendants, carried knives, and one was apparently in possession of a replica gun, the report noted. (RELATED: 11 Dead, 46 Wounded, In Deadliest Memorial Day Weekend in Chicago Since 2015)
Young adults play volleyball on the beach on May 30, 2022 in Wildwood, New Jersey as part of Memorial Day events Image not from story. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images)
An Ocean City resident reported between 300 and 700 youths smoking marijuana, setting off fireworks into the crowd, fighting, destroying property, and stealing from stores, “all acting wild, like a bad house party without the house,” per the AP.
The youths appeared to be aware of the legal constraints imposed on the officers, and knew they faced no risk of arrest and no compulsion to give police their names.
Officers reportedly feared being charged with depriving the teens of their rights if they engaged the teens with regards to marijuana and alcohol.
Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian responded to the situation by saying, “Enough is enough. It’s become clear over the past two summers that these crowds will only grow larger and unrulier unless something changes,” in a statement to the AP.
Democratic and Republican lawmakers in the town have introduced new bills reinstating fines for underage possession of alcohol and marijuana and allowing police officers to search teens, the AP report noted.